Canadian Bar Association

Published purpose

The project goal is to contribute to the development of a rules-based, effective, transparent, and predictable legal framework in Bangladesh and to promote access to justice, particularly for the poor. The project supports the Bangladesh Government's Strategy for Legal and Judicial Reforms adopted in 2000, and is complementary to a larger Legal and Judicial Capacity Building Project funded by the World Bank and Danida (Danish International Development Agency). The project has two parts: Part A, implemented by the Department of Justice Canada, was completed in May 2008. It focussed on strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. It had four elements: strengthening the Legislative Drafting Wing; increasing the Ministry’s capacity to make and implement policies; improving the criminal justice system; and strengthening the Law Commission. Part B, implemented by the Canadian Bar Association and IBM Canada, focuses on increasing access to justice for the poor, particularly women, children, and other vulnerable groups. The Project initially worked on three areas: legal aid, juvenile justice, and alternative dispute resolution, and now focuses on legal aid alone. The aim is to develop and refine two key government legal aid service delivery mechanisms: the District Legal Aid Committees and the Duty Counsel Program; and to build the institutional capacity of the National Legal Aid Services Organization (NLASO), the statutory body overseeing the delivery of legal aid services in Bangladesh.